Personnel:
Chris Cheek (saxes), Zach Radwine (p), Bob Deboo (b)
Reference: FSRCD 5151
Bar code: 8427328651516
Dear Paul,
I’m pleased to introduce you to Zach Radwine and Bob DeBoo! We met and did some gigs together while I was living in St. Louis during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 (…you missed that whole “Fiasco!”) One afternoon while we rehearsed at Zach’s house, and had just finished playing “Blue Midnight,” his daughter, Cressida, came into the room to visit. Suddenly she stopped talking and pointed to a blue butterfly that had just landed outside the window. This little incident reminded me of all the uncanny and inexplicable coincidences I experienced being around you!
I knew then that I’d like for us to record a collection of some of your tunes. This (2024) Year of the Dragon felt like a good moment to honor and enjoy your legacy as one of the most original and enigmatic jazz composers of our era! With this small project, we hope to help preserve and promote your “Mesmerizing” repertoire of truly compelling material for the improvising musician.
From my point of view, I thought Bob and Zach were genuinely able to evoke the mystery and sense of wonder your tunes inspire. With just a few handwritten melodies and spare chord symbols, you gave us living maps to so many out-of-the-ordinary and elusive places.
Thank you Paul, for penning all these different invitations to traverse your vast musical worlds! I remember your telling all of us who played with you: “…never assume anything!” but on this occasion, I will assume that you would have enjoyed meeting Zach and Bob and hearing them as players. I hope you would like our versions of your songs, and that anyone listening would be motivated to discover more of your work as a writer and feel free to take the journey themselves through experiencing and exploring your music.
With fondness and gratitude,
—Chris Cheek
